I Hope You Dance
by Allieapplesauce
Summary: With Skinner's hedging, Mulder and Scully attend the annual Christmas party in NYC. Shippiness abounds!


Title: I Hope You Dance

Author: SkepticalScully

Rating PG

MSR/Angst

Archive: Anywhere, the more promotion the better, just let me know where!

Has any one ever heard the very pretty country

song by Lee Ann Womack called I Hope You Dance? I

have and it has inspired me to do a fan fic. It's

probably going to be very sappy but if I don't get

it down on paper, it's going to drive me crazy!

I Hope You Dance

December 22, 2001

The FBI held a formal Christmas party at a very nice

hotel every year in New York City. Federal Employees

were invited from all over the east coast every year.

They'd only been holding the Christmas Eve party for

about five years, and so far, they had had quite a

good outcome. Only a few came from outside New York,

but maybe in the future, different places like

Pittsburgh and D.C. would have their own.

This was the second time Mulder and Scully had been

invited to go, but they had other plans that year. Or,

Scully had other plans that year. Anyway, Skinner gave

them the cards earlier in the week and advised them

that it might be good to go do something nice. He told

them to leave a day earlier, take some of that

vacation time to go see Times Square before it got

crowded. Whatever he meant by that.

The plane ride was quiet. Scully was fidgeting the

whole time. What was she going to wear? That was her

main worry. Not even how embarrassed she was to wear

something more fancy around Mulder. Like, he had

probably never seen her in jeans or shorts let alone a

gown of some degree. But right now, she had to find a

dress store and a dress that she could afford before

tomorrow night. That shouldn't be too hard for her

though, she wasn't that meticulous. She just wasn't

used to getting THAT dressed up.

Mulder noticed her discontent, but he blamed it all on

the plane ride. He wouldn't admit it but planes

weren't exactly the best experience himself. He'd

never been on a plane headed for disaster, per say.

All that normal X-Files job stuff happened, but planes

were very vulnerable. All that was holding you up was

some thin steel. Therefore, he understood why Scully

was always fidgety on planes. Nevertheless, he never

let that stop him from sleeping on the way.

He and Scully usually engaged in some sort of banter

throughout the trip. He would doze off for a while

and then she'd wake him up when they were almost there

and he'd make some wise crack that wasn't funny. Most

of the time, some of it was about their current case,

but for the most part, they put that away until they

were off the plane.

This time, there was a little bit of a lack of

communication because really, there was nothing to

talk about and no case to back up those odd silences

when neither of them could think of anything to say.

Therefore, Mulder was a little fidgety himself because

he wanted to say something.

He tapped her arm. "Scully?"

She looked away from the window. "Yeah?"

"Um," he searched for some conversation starter. It

usually wasn't that hard. He grinned stupidly, then

reached into the drink tray and pulled out a Planters

package. "Want my peanuts?"

Scully allowed half a smile for his benefit but shook

her head. "No, I still have mine."

"Suit yourself." He said and tore into the package.

She rolled her eyes.

"So, Scully, you have any idea where you would buy a

tux in New York?" he asked nonchalantly.

Scully felt somewhat relieved to hear that he too, was

a bit anxious about finding something to wear, but

geez, he just had to find a tux that fit him! Women

had so much more to deal with! What color should the

dress be? Straps or strapless? Ruffles? Poof? A big

bow in the back? Elegant or plain? The list was

endless!

Finally, the plane landed at JFK. They found their

bags after a considerable time spent looking for them

and went to the hotel. It was nearly dinnertime when

they were settled in. Scully was just going to have

something room serviced, however, Mulder had different

ideas. Scully didn't know what had gotten into him.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the bed and

out the door before she had any time to protest.

"Mulder, what are you doing?"

"Scully, we didn't come to New York to eat Hotel food.

We do that all the time, have some fun, Scully."

She just shook her head in amusement and was dragged

down the hall.

December 22, 2000

6:56 p.m.

"Mulder-" she stuttered. "You didn't make

reservations-did you?"

He shrugged and grinned. "Me? Make reservations? I

thought you'd know me better than that, Scully."

But she saw through his façade and was slightly

touched. "It's an expensive restaurant, Mulder."

"I know. So?" he asked her pointedly.

She sighed and they were led to a table, which was

clothed in thin white linen. There were two taper

candles burning on each end of the table, and a basket

of bread was immediately set on the table. Mulder

smiled at the man, mumbled politely, "thank you."

Scully leaned over the table and said softly. "Mulder,

you didn't have to do this."

Mulder shrugged. "It's part of your Christmas present,

Scully."

She leaned back, arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow,

and then narrowed it: "part, Mulder? Should I ask?"

Mulder refused to look at her. Instead, he focused on

taking the blue cloth napkin off the table and

spreading it on his lap while he said, "No, you may

not."

She nodded, her mouth a thin line as she said

sarcastically, "Great."

"Don't worry, Scully. I won't do anything you wouldn't

do."

9:34 p.m.

The hotel was about seven blocks away and hey decided

they would walk back even though the night air was

chilly. It was relaxing though. No chasing monsters or

being stuck up to their elbows in God only knows what.

So, what if it was only twenty degrees out? It's not

like they couldn't handle a little brisk walk.

Moreover, it would make that hot bath Scully was going

to take when they got back to the hotel all the more

relaxing. Oh yeah, after this walk, she was going to

need it.

They walked in silence most of the way back, just

staring at the city lights. It really was quite a

difference than being out in the middle of nowhere. In

the middle of nowhere, you could see the stars but

here, the stars were hidden. The silence was

comfortable though. Through eight years they had

gotten used to the silence and could feel comfortable

without talking for a long time; words didn't always

need to be said to get a point across-or an idea or

thought.

At the hotel, they sighed in delight when they finally

returned to the warmth. She still shivered though;

casting off the last bit of cold, knowing that bath

was waiting for her. At her door, she turned to

Mulder. She gave a smile and she wondered, 'is this

the same Fox Mulder I know?' The Fox Mulder she knew

had good intentions, he could be sweet, but he was

absent minded at times and she didn't know him to ever

show a romantic side. Not that she was looking for

romance from Mulder, but that's what he had been

leading towards tonight. She wasn't sure how she felt

about that. She berated herself. It was just a dinner

with Mulder. That was harmless. She had eaten dinner

with Mulder in countless restaurants over the years.

Just none as fancy as this. "Thank you for dinner,

Mulder." She said, then felt her face turn red and

quickly turned towards her door and unlocked it.

She heard Mulder chuckle quietly behind her and

blushed even more. She blamed her clear, light skin

and red hair at times like these. "Good night,

Scully."

"Goodnight." She said and shut the door. She leaned

against it, safe. She was safe until morning. She

pushed away from the door towards the bathroom to

start her bath. She didn't wait for it to fill

completely, but undressed and sank into the steaming

water. Now, THIS was relaxing. There wasn't anything

better than a nice hot, relaxing bath. She sighed

contentedly. The world could go by without here when

she was in this state, and she didn't care if she was

left behind.

December 23, 2000

Scully slept until eleven. When she woke, the room was

filled with a cold sunshine. She checked her watch;

sure that it couldn't be that late. She never slept

that late, all night through. Plus, Mulder should have

awakened her. He never slept that late either. She got

up, dressed, and went across the hall to Mulder's room

and knocked. He didn't answer.

Maybe he had gone out to find his tuxedo for tonight.

That reminded her that she had to find herself

something to wear. Now was a time she wished she had

some other wardrobe, but she never got dressed up like

this so she hadn't been in need for such an outfit.

Not sense her brother got married, and that had been

borrowed from her sister. Well, she would have one

now, hopefully.

She went back to her room, gathered her things and

left the hotel. She found a few stores, but most of

the dresses in them were just too expensive. Getting a

bit distressed and frustrated, she finally found a

store that looked to be a little bit more in her price

range. She went in.

She found a couple of beautiful dresses, but she

wasn't sure if any of them were right for her. She

looked at a few black, simple dresses and finally

tried a couple of them on. They weren't right.

Afterwards, one of the employees, a woman Scully could

tell was the kind of woman who thought she was better

than everyone else, came over and smiled. "Can I help

you with a dress?"

Scully could do just fine on her own, but the woman

moved past her and reached for a dark wine red dress.

"This will go lovely with your hair," she said,

holding it up to Scully's front.

Scully took the dress as the woman moved around and

picked something else out. "How formal is the event

you are going to?" She asked.

Scully groaned quietly. Scully had met her share of

snobby people in college. This is where it got them,

she thought. But she answered her anyway, figuring it

might make her back off. "It's an FBI Christmas

Party."

The woman stared back at her and Scully knew she'd

made a mark. It wasn't immediately evident on her

face, but Scully knew what she was thinking. "Oh. How

nice. You're going with your husband?"

Scully laid the red dress she was holding on the rack

closest to her. "No. My husband is going with ME." And

she walked way and out the door. She wasn't about to

give her money to this store, wasn't about to purchase

anything from them. This is why she never went to

these things, she thought. They weren't worth the

effort.

1:10 p.m.

When Mulder got back to the hotel, he took a shower

and then went to Scully's room. "Hey, Scully." He

closed the door, and then fell into one of the chairs.

"Make yourself at home, Mulder."

"So, you ready for the Christmas Party tonight?"

She sighed and made a disgusted face. He tilted his

head. "Why not?"

"It's not that, Mulder. But when I went to look for

something to wear tonight, the lack of courtesy is an

X-File in itself."

He chuckled. "So you didn't find anything?" he looked

disappointed.

"No, I finally found something. I hope it's not too

formal. But why don't you go get ready? It's already

five O'clock."

"I can take a hint." He said and left her to get

ready.

7:03 p.m.

As they walked through the doors, Scully was happy to

find that she wasn't over dressed, or underdressed.

Mulder looked sharp in his tuxedo, and fit right in

with the other agents. As Scully looked around the

room, she decided she was happy they had come after

all. They found a table and sat down. It was a large

room and there were maybe fifty or sixty other people

there. There was a bar and a band playing Hark the

Herald Angels Sing. Most people were talking, very few

actually dancing.

A man came over to the table just as Mulder was coming

back with two drinks. He looked familiar to Scully,

but she didn't know his name. "Agent Scully, right?"

Mulder set the drinks down. The agent turned to him.

"I'm Peter Hausenmier. I've seen you both around."

Mulder shook his hand, glanced at Scully, then

gestured towards the empty chair. Peter shook his

head. "Nah, I just thought I would come over and say

hi."

Agent Hausenmier left and left Mulder and Scully to

themselves. Joy to the World began playing and a few

more agents arrived. Scully and Mulder conversed with

a few of them, finding out that it seemed to be just

them and agent Hausenmier who were from D.C.

A couple hours later, Scully was hot and excused

herself. A couple too many drinks and the high

percentage of body heat was making her flushed. She

stepped outside and saw that it had begun snowing, and

now there lay a good couple of inches on the ground.

She stood and peered up at the white flurries

fluttering down from the darkness. She stared up

through the branches of a leafless tree catching the

flakes. How peaceful such ordinary things could be.

Earlier she had been happy she had come to this party,

but in actuality, it was quite boring. For her at

least. Mulder seemed to be enjoying himself, which was

unusual because she didn't think he seemed to be much

different than her in this aspect. Or least she had

thought so. But Mulder had been striking up

conversations enthusiastically the better part of the

night. So she had excused herself to get some fresh

air.

She shivered. She hadn't brought her jacket out with

her; had just left, not thinking about the cold.

She felt something around her shoulders, startling

her, and found Mulder at her side. "Sorry, I kind of

just left you go tonight."

A little surprised, she looked at him. "Oh." She

pulled her arms through the sleeves. "Oh, that's

alright, Mulder." She said quietly, but hadn't thought

that he had noticed. "You don't have to baby-sit me."

Those words were out of her mouth before she realized

what she had said. "I mean-"

He stepped back a little. "Yeah, please explain what

you meant."

Scully hadn't expected that from him. "I didn't mean

to say that, Mulder-that's not what I meant-"

"You mean-" he nodded his head. "I know what you

meant." He replied with finality, shook his head

slowly and walked off quickly back.

Scully was shocked at his behavior and took a few

steps forward, but Mulder hailed a taxi and got in

without a glance behind him. The snow wasn't peaceful

anymore. All it was-was cold.

10:56 p.m.

He wasn't at the hotel, or he just wasn't answering

his door. In either case, the only thing for Scully to

do was go back to her room. She felt lonely. Mulder's

actions earlier puzzled and frightened her. Those

words hadn't meant to come out of her mouth. She

hadn't even thought them through before she'd voiced

them. She didn't even know what she meant herself;

just that Mulder was free to talk with other people.

He didn't have to try and keep her attention, or

involve her in everything. She wasn't a total social

outcast. She was doing fine on her own.

Another bubble bath would do nothing to calm her mind

so she didn't even take one. Instead, she shredded her

clothes, leaving them a heap on the floor and climbed

into the shower. As she thought about it, his entire

behavior the last couple of days was odd. First, the

excitement to go to a Bureau Christmas Party, which

should have been the last thing on earth that he would

want to attend; second, the dinner last night, and

third, tonight.

She didn't think anything of coming to the party, and

dinner-although unusual-was nice, if Scully wasn't

sure what to think about it-but tonight made those

events stick out. Something had to be bothering him,

and the question was: was it her? She hadn't said

anything, or acted in any way that would turn him off-

at least she didn't think so. It was HIS idea to come

to this thing, not hers.

She sighed. Turned the water off and wrapped a towel

around herself. Forgoing her usual nightly routine,

she slipped into her pajamas and climbed into bed,

wishing not to deal with anything at all until her

mind cleared. Let him sulk and then talk to him

tomorrow when his head was also cleared. The only

thing troubling her mind as she tried to fall asleep

was that she didn't know where he was.

At about four in the morning, he arrived back at the

hotel. He stopped at Scully's door, a hand raised to

knock, but knew that she had probably gone to sleep

and he didn't want to wake her, so he returned to his

room. His remark to her earlier had probably startled

her, much as it had him. He was blocks away from her

before he realized what he was doing, and by the time

he had gone back, she was gone. He walked around New

York for hours, and even the hot shower he jumped into

did not expel the chill that seemed burrowed in his

bones.

He lay on his bed for a while, thinking. This wasn't

how he had planned tonight. What she had said had a

truthful meaning, and whether she meant it or not, or

if she even knew what she had really meant, he did.

And perhaps things should change. He made up his mind

what he was going to do, and then he was finally able

to sleep.

11:42 a.m.

"Mulder, it's me." Scully knocked on the door again,

but he didn't answer. Either he wasn't there or he

wasn't answering; she wasn't sure which was better.

Never had she seen Mulder act this way, or refuse to

face the problem soon after.

They were leaving in a few hours and she really didn't

want to fly back to D.C. on a bad note, and she didn't

want to do it on the plane.

She began packing, leaving the door open so she would

hear him when he came back. She was placing her

suitcase on the chair by the door when he came back.

She sighed. "Mulder," she called. He didn't seem to

hear her, but continued to unlock his door. She called

more sternly, "Mulder."

He turned around. "Hey, Scully." He stepped over to

her. "Listen, I just heard that there's a severe snow

storm watch and many of the flights have been delayed.

We're probably going to be stuck here one more night."

She started to say something. "Mulder-"

He looked down at the keys in his hand. "I'm sorry

about last night, Scully. I shouldn't have left like

that."

She almost laughed, but not because she thought it was

funny. Her tone was serious, "No, you shouldn't have."

He took a deep breath and looker into her eyes. "I

don't want to be on bad terms with you, Scully."

"Neither do I-"

He cut her off without meaning too. "I just think you

should think about what you really meant last night. I

think it'll do us both some good." With that, he

turned back to his room, leaving her standing there.

1:12 p.m.

She took a walk. The snow had stopped for a while, but

now it was coming down softly again. Scully shivered,

pulling her coat tighter around herself. She didn't

want to go back to the hotel just yet, but she was too

cold to walk any longer.

She went into a diner, stepping out of the twenty-

first century and into the 1960s. There was a jukebox

in the corner, yellow and white, red and white, green

and white checkered table clothes; a black and white

checkered floor. Framed paintings, drawings, and

photographs of Elvis lined the walls.

All the booths were taken so she had to settle for a

stool at the counter. She ordered a cup of coffee, but

nothing else.

"Agent Scully. I didn't expect to see you here."

The voice startled her; she turned around. "Agent

Hausenmier."

He sat on the stool beside her. "Hi." To the waitress

behind the counter, he replied, "A coffee." He

returned his attention back to Scully. "Have you heard

about the snow passing through? Supposed to be one

hell of a storm."

Scully nodded, sipped her coffee. "I heard."

He young agent looked around. "Alone?"

Scully looked up, "hmm?"

He was using hand gestures. "I mean, your partner's

not here with you?"

She held the mug in her hands. "No. He's back at the

hotel I suppose."

Hausenmier was handed his coffee. "Thanks. Everything

all right? I mean I don't want to pry. You seem down."

Scully gave a thin smile. "Everything's fine. Tell me

something, Agent Hausenmier-"

"Call me Pete."

"Pete. What made you come to the party?"

He smiled, gave a laugh. "A bet."

1:30 p.m.

Mulder paced. She usually didn't stay out for this

long. When she went for a walk, she usually was back

within an hour. Plus, the weather outside was another

factor in his worrying. If she didn't come back soon,

he'd have to change his plans. Their plane was still

on schedule but if they missed it, oh well. He opened

his door and looked out into the hall when he heard

keys in the lock but it wasn't her. He paced some

more.

"A bet, hmm? Those can do damage."

He gave a hearty laugh. "When you lose, yeah. I live

on risks. Plus, I think I have this one covered."

"What did you bet?" Scully wanted to know. She

refilled her coffee.

Pete winked. "I can't tell you that."

"I see. Because then you'd have to kill me."

"Exactly!"

After a couple of coffee refills later, Scully

realized that what Mulder had said earlier had been

true, but it didn't mean anything, she told herself.

She quickly stood, fumbling with some bills and laying

them on the counter. "Pete, it was nice to meet you

and talk with you, but I just remembered something I

have to do."

She hoped she wasn't too late and Mulder was still at

the hotel.

2:14 p.m.

There was a knock on his door, and he quickly bounced

off the bed and grabbed the remote, flicking through

the channels, and looking nonchalant as he called out,

"it's open!"

To his relief, it was Scully. "Mulder, I need to talk

to you."

He flipped off the TV and sat up.

1: 48 p.m.

Pete Hausenmier paid for his coffee, then stood and

headed for the door. Earlier this morning, he had run

into that other agent-Fox Mulder. After saying hi, he

continued on, when suddenly, Mulder came jogging down

the hall, halting him. He thought it was kind of

strange that this guy wanted him to go look for his

partner, but he thought, 'oh, what the hell? I have

nothing better to do.' Of course, he hadn't expected

to find her, but coincidentally, when he went into

that little diner to warm his insides, she was sitting

there. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say,

just that he wasn't supposed to let her know the

reason he was really there.

Now, apparently having the effect on her he was

supposed to, he was on his way back to the hotel. He

would never understand these two. Granted he had just

met them, but he had heard a lot about them. He had

only been with the bureau for three years, much

inexperienced compared to most of the agents he worked

with, but he was very much life experienced. During

his weeks in training, there had been much talk about

these two, hidden down in their office, scouting out

cases that dealt with the paranormal. Apparently,

Mulder had lost a sister and was still searching for

her, believing that her disappearance was because she

was abducted by aliens and the very men he worked for

were responsible. Actually, Pete had to laugh at it.

Or else, he would be up nights; his head full of

thoughts about whether he was doing the right thing,

whether this was his calling-to fight justice.

Well, the woman, Scully. He hadn't heard quite as much

about her; guessed Mulder was more interesting then

she was. Not that she didn't get her fair share of

whistles and 'she's a looker' from the guys (no

respect). He had heard about her having been

'abducted'. It was a big joke for everything. They had

lots of stories; that she hadn't really been abducted,

but that she'd gotten pregnant because her and Mulder

did the 'wild thing' and she had to go away until

she'd had the baby. Oh, there were plenty of them.

He'd heard them all. But since he'd actually met them,

he found the memories in the back of his head annoying

him. Those guys didn't know what they were talking

about. Like he had said, he had life experience, he

was a good judge of character, and first impressions

were usually right.

There was one thing that the guys had been right

about-although they went about it in a rude mannered

way. There was definitely chemistry between the pair.

It radiated off them like a sun-baked ham. He was so

interested in them last night, delighted to actually

meet them, so he had been watching them all night. He

caught the side-glances Mulder kept giving Scully as

he talked to other agents in the room. And Scully's

quick glances at him, mournfully, like she wanted him

to come back over to where she was sitting, or she

wanted to go over to him, but didn't want to intrude.

Actually, she looked like she wasn't sure of herself.

Or sure of him.

Suddenly, he wasn't in much of a hurry to get back to

Washington.

2:28 p.m.

"I know you don't need baby-sat, Scully. I think the

whole point of you saying that showed me that maybe we

spend too much time together...sometimes. We both need

our own space, I just...I just like being around you."

There. He'd said it. The tightness in his chest that

he'd been filling all day was slowly receding. He

waited for her answer.

Her face turned color and she avoided his eyes,

seeming to let his words sink in deeper before she

answered him. She wasn't quite sure WHAT was going on

these last few days. She was a jumble of confused

thoughts. How could something she hadn't even meant to

say turn into such a heated topic? How could it turn

into something good? She wasn't complaining. "I think

you're right, Mulder. And when you left last night, I

was completely at a loss as to how it affected you so

easily. And what ever you're thinking, I really didn't

mean it last night. I still don't mean it."

His lips curled up slightly. Anyone else but Scully

would have missed its impact. "I think I acted the way

I did because I wanted to spend time with you and I

was a bit disappointed that you didn't want the same."

Scully scooted forward in her chair and rested a hand

on his without any idea what she was doing. "Oh, but I

do."

A full-fledged grin enveloped his face this time, and

he quickly pulled her to her feet and started for the

door. "Let's get married, then."

Scully wasn't sure if she had heard correctly. "Wha-?"

"Let's do it lets get married, now."

She tried to pull out of his grasp, contemplating

whether or not he was serious. She hoped he wasn't;

didn't know what she should do or say to make the

moment more comfortable. He seemed to be enjoying the

moment, but she was terrified (at the same time she

felt a rush) at his spontaneity. "You're joking."

"No, I'm not." He replied; the door was open.

She let out a breath she didn't realize she was

holding, and tugged out of his hand. Thankfully, the

smile on his face and the mischievous sparkle in his

eyes told the truth: just a joke. Well...at the

moment, anyway. But he was still going through the

door; no sign of stopping. "Mulder, where are you

going?"

"Come on, I still have that other half of the

Christmas present."

Scully groaned but followed him; she HAD to know what

he had up his sleeve. It was Mulder; it could be good

or it could be bad...very, very bad.

Outside the hotel, he hailed a cab. The snow was still

falling, although it had slowed down a little. The

streets were wet and slushy-traffic moving sluggishly

by with a slick sound. Several cabs passed by without

slowing, and Mulder stepped further into the street,

lifting his arm. One slowed down and pulled to the

curb. Mulder opened the back door and let Scully in,

then went around and spoke to the driver in a hushed

tone. The driver, nodding his understanding, satisfied

Mulder, and he joined Scully as the car pulled back

into traffic.

"Mulder, what do you have going on?" Scully asked.

When he didn't reply; just stared at her as if he

didn't understand English, she raised an eyebrow in an

attempt to force him to answer. Usually it worked to

some degree, but not this time. He shrugged and

replied, "you'll find out soon enough."

She huffed, then leaned against the door, away from

Mulder as far as she could, and stared out the window,

watching the flakes of snow hit the window and

disappear.

At the stop light, Mulder reached into his pocket and

pulled out a blue paisley hanky and got Scully's

attention. She eyed it warily.

"Relax, it's clean." He folded it into a triangle,

then began to roll it up.

"That's not what I'm worried about."

He chuckled, then raised the blind fold towards her.

She instinctively pulled back. "Please, Scully?"

She succumbed, and let him wrap it around her eyes and

tie it in the back of her head. "Can you see?"

She shook her head, but testing her to make sure, he

raised his palm in front of her face, drew it back and

then brought it forward quickly as if he was going to

hit her, stopping only inches from her face. Either

she was good or she couldn't see; she didn't flinch.

The light turned green, and the cab made a left onto

the next street. A few minutes later, it stopped and

pulled to the curb. Mulder got out, went around and

opened Scully's door once more. He helped her out and

led her to the sidewalk. He paid the driver and then

stared up at the large building before him. He led her

to the door, opened it and led her inside.

A round man, dressed in black pants, a white shirt,

and a red vest with the name tag Herv on it, was

waiting them. "Agent Mulder." He shook his hand.

"Right this way."

Scully leaned close to Mulder and whispered. "Can I

take this off? I feel ridiculous, Mulder."

"In a minute."

Mulder led her through an opening and down a hallway

through another door. Then the floor began to slope

and he lead her down that. Then he turned to his right

and pushed her ahead of him. Using her hands to feel

her way, she began to figure out where she was. A row

of seats. Mulder stopped her and pushed gently on her

shoulder for her to sit. Then he disappered for a

minute and when he came back, she smelled popcorn.

Something clinked together like glass. He sat down

next to her, setting whatever he had down.

"Can-"

"In a minute." She heard a pop, a hiss, and then he

was pouring something. She coughed from the overdose

of butter. Finally, she felt him reach behind her and

untie the hanky. He handed her a glass of wine, and

she saw that she was in a movie theatre.

She made a tiny sound, then turned to him, "Mulder-?"

He handed her a bowl of popcorn. "I know you don't

like butter on yours, so you get your own."

On the movie screen, a picture came on. The picture

began counting backwards from ten. She could hear the

projector in the room above and behind them. He rose

his glass in the air and clinked it against hers.

"Merry Christmas, Scully."

She looked at him. She didn't know what to say. He

didn't want her to say anything, anyway. He rose his

fingers to his lips, "shhh. It's impolite to talk

during a movie."

The movie came on and Scully's jaw dropped. "Oh

my...Mulder..."

A woman, dressed in a 1940s black dress, with a large

hat on her head, a veil in front of her eyes, crossed

a street and stopped at a large building; jewelry in

the window. She ate a muffin and sipped coffee, just

staring at the jewelry. Then she walked away down the

street. The name of the jewelry store was Tiffany's.

She kept glancing at Mulder as they watched the movie,

but he would not favor her with a glance, or let her

speak. It was agony, but she endured it.

Holly: He's alright! Aren't you, cat? Poor cat! Poor

slob! Poor slob without a name! The way I see it I

haven't got the right to give him one. We don't belong

to each other. We just took up one day by the river. I

don't want to own anything until I find a place where

me and things go together. I'm not sure where that is

but I know what it is like. It's like Tiffany's.

Paul: Tiffany's? You mean the jewelry store?

Holly: That's right. I'm just CRAZY about Tiffany's!

She found herself staring at his hands as they rested

on his legs. She couldn't concentrate on the movie,

although she knew it by heart. It was one of the

things that surprised her about Mulder. He couldn't

remember such common things as her birthday, yet he

picked up on those little things about her. He just

KNEW. Not once had she ever mentioned anything about

this movie. He may have seen the book in her

apartment, or he may have seen the videotape laying

around, but she had never once said a word.

This was what surprised her and scared her the most.

HOLLY: If I could find a real-life place that made me

feel like Tiffany's then- then I'd buy some furniture

and give the cat a name! I'm sorry you wanted

something... Oh! the telephone.

PAUL: It's just that I was supposed to meet somebody.

This is 10 o'clock, Thursday morning, isn't it? I just

got off a plane from Rome and I'm not too sure.

HOLLY: Thursday! This Thursday?!

PAUL: I think so.

HOLLY: Oh, no! It can't be Thursday! It's too

gruesome!

PAUL: What's so gruesome about Thursday?

HOLLY: Nothing, except that I can never remember when

it is coming up. Wednesdays I usually don't go to bed

at all because I have to be up to catch the 10:25, and

they're so particular about visiting hours. [brushes

teeth] Would you be a darling and look under the bed

and see if you can find a pair of alligator shoes.

I've got to do something about the way I look. I mean,

a girl just can't go to Sing Sing with a green face.

He glanced over at her several times throughout the

movie, finding her staring elsewhere. That was Scully,

her mind always wandering and thinking. But he knew

she appreciated it and he knew that he couldn't have

picked anything better to give her.

6:45 p.m.

Afterwards, Mulder gathered the glasses and bottle of

champagne and led Scully back to the front of the

building. She walked silently behind him. As he talked

to the man he'd met earlier, Scully walked outside.

Mulder joined her after a couple minutes, and together

they took a walk.

Without any warning, she crossed the street. Night had

fallen, but the city lights kept everything bright.

The snow had begun to fall again and everything was

white. There was a small park, deserted by all the

children. The stars were not very bright here within

New Yorks lights. Scully stopped. She stared up at the

sky as the snow fell between the branches of the bare

trees. One could imagine the snow itself being tiny

stars, falling from heaven. She found herself feeling

like she could stand her for hours, just staring up.

It seemed so endless. So big.

"Are you okay, Scully?" He came to stand beside her.

She nodded but didn't say anything. After a moment,

she felt a hand snake their way through hers and she

looked at Mulder. "Come on, let's go back. It's cold."

Tears glistened in her eyes, but she shook her head.

"In a while, Mulder." She wiped the tears from her yes

and gave a nervous laugh that was barely audible. "I'm

a mess."

Then he did something she wasn't expecting. He put an

arm around her shoulder, "We'll be a mess together

then, okay?"

She put her arm around him and hugged him. Heard him

chuckle. Her head fit so perfectly in the cradle of

his arms. She whispered, "Thank you for everything,

Mulder. Dinner last night-the movie tonight-it was

perfect."

"Your welcome, Scully." He said.

She leaned back a little so she could look at him.

"How did you set that all up? That movie?"

"It's a long story." He smiled. "It's my secret

anyway; maybe someday."

She laughed lightly in his embrace. "It's an X-File."

Somewhere, the Christmas lights twinkled off the

traffic lights, electric poles, and buildings. At a

nearby skating rink, laughter rang out and music began

playing. They swayed back and forth for a while,

dancing to the song. The snow flakes grew larger, but

there was no wind. For a moment, the traffic stopped.

Then a gush of wind blew lightly, tousling their hair

and invading their warm circle. The traffic resumed,

horns honking and engines growling. He kissed the top

of her head. There was a mutual, unspoken

understanding, and they both walked away.

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder

You get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger

May you never take one single breath for granted

God forbid love ever leave you empty handed

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the

ocean

Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

Chorus

I hope you dance

I hope you dance

2nd Verse

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance

Never settle for the path of least resistance

Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth

takin'

Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin'

Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter

When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider

Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

(Repeat Chorus)

Counter Melody

(Time is a wheel in constant motion, always rolling us

along)

(Tell me who wants to look back on their years and

wonder)

(Where those years have gone)

Bridge

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the

ocean

Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

2nd Chorus

Dance

I hope you dance

I hope you dance

(Repeat Counter Melody)

I hope you dance

I hope you dance

I hope you dance

(Counter Melody Out)

Please, I would appreciate any fan fiction! Writing

means more than just writing about Scully and Mulder

and its more than just a hobby for me. Do unto others

as you would have done unto you.

Thank you!


End file.
